This invention relates to a ski boot incorporating a flex control device.
Ski boots, and especially rear entrance ski boots, are known to include some device for controlling flex, flex meaning here the resistance opposed by the boot to bending about a substantially horizontal axis lying perpendicularly to the boot shell longitudinal direction.
Currently known, e.g. from U.S. Pat. No. 3,713,231, are devices for controlling flex which comprise a spring cushioning member which acts, with an adjustable spring bias action, between the shell and quarter to provide elastic resistance to bending.
That approach, while being satisfactory from a theoretical point of view, mainly has the disadvantage of requiring complex constructional parts which are difficult to mount on the boot and not always easily set by the user.
Another disadvantage is that such devices are relatively bulky, which adversely affects the aesthetic appearance of the boot to an appreciable extent, while increasing the outline dimensions of the boot.
Another proposal, e.g. as provided by U.S. Pat. No. 3,968,578, employs a replaceable elastomeric element which is applied between the shell and quarter to resist oscillation elastically.
The elastomeric element affords an improved fit to the general appearance of the boot by avoiding a bulging outline, but has the disadvantage that it must be replaced whenever the boot flex is to be altered.
In practice, therefore, a satisfactory boot is provided from the aesthetical standpoint but one that is inconvenient for the user who has to remove and replace parts, in particular the elastomeric element, if he/she desires to alter the boot flex, thereby the amount of flex cannot be adjusted continuously and quickly.